Seresia
The Empire of Seresia is a Constitutional Monarchy bordered by Nyssa and the Turkau Khaganate. The Ashur C.200 BE, the first city-states in modern-day Seresia were founded by a people of farmers, traders, fishermen, and warriors, the Ashur. They were one of the first people in Eordae to settle down and build cities. They worshiped hundreds of gods but their primary god was Kambus, god of trade and wisdom. The Ashur built 80 cities ranging from small to very large. These cities often fought amongst themselves for power and prestige. Some of those cities, like Mastrepi, Sardak, and Seresia are still inhabited. The Ashur also were the best seafarers of Ancient Eordae and reached at one point Northern Jayanesia and Eastern Aredia Minor and invented an alphabet of 22 characters which inspired many of Aredia's alphabets. According to archeological discoveries and documents, the Ashur were ruled by an oligarchical council of elders and merchant-nobles who elected a King from among themselves similar to other ancient societies of Aredia. Evidence suggestion that the dead were cremated and buried in communal tombs along with their favorite belongings. The Early Seresians Around 2900 BE, the city-states of the Ashur were invaded by the ancestors of modern Seresians. The Proto-Seresians were able to conquer the land of the Ashur is a little under a century thanks to their large numbers and superior weaponry. Proto-Seresians were able to overpower the bronze weapons of the Ashur with their iron weapons. Many of the Ashur cities were destroyed or abandoned during the intense fighting, some of which were later refounded. The proto-Seresians adopted a great deal of the Ashurs' culture, especially their alphabet. Within a few decades, the proto-Seresians had adopted the Ashurian Alphabet with a few modifications. The Proto-Seresians centralized the surviving cities into six kingdoms, the largest of which was Seresia. The kingdoms, like the city-states before them, often fought amongst one another. However the kingdoms fought much more aggressively and by 259 YE they had been united under Seresia which eventually became the name of the nation and people who inhabited it. The First Seresian Empire General Yeren Rederek, King of Seresia rose from being the son of a shepherd to become King of Seresia in 249 YE after killing the previous king, Demetrios "The Cruel" and his entire family in a military coup. General Rederek reorganized the Seresia's military in the "Redrerelian Reofrms. The reforms centered the army around spear wielding heavy infantry and mounted archers as cavalry. He used his reformed military to conquer the other kingdoms in the Seresian Unification Wars. The Kingdom of Mastrepi, was the last to fall. In 259 YE, Yeren proclaimed himself Anax of the Seresia. Yeren Rederek then spent the next 20 years expanding his empire to conquer the Kandal States of the Southern Half of the modern Turkau Khaganate. He died in 280 YE from disease at the age of 81. His son, Pereclen Rederek, was a skilled administrator who focused on developing Seresian infrastructure. During Rederek dynasty, Seresia flourished. Culture in Seresia was dominated by a focus on epic pieces of literature like the Orderis, an epic poem about a warrior and large monuments. Funeral rites also changed as the dead were buried in monumental tombs with the most famous example, the tomb of Anassa Anerka, which was discovered in 1663 AE, which showed that the Anassa was laid to rest with terracotta models of her horses, dogs, and servants. Imperial administration was that of the Anex "assisted" by a council of fifty of the most powerful nobles and also by appointed governors. The First Seresian Empire was also a place of great philosophical and scientific knowledge. Religion also changed as the belief of the god Rener, god of wisdom and trade, became the main god Seresians followed and henotheism replaced Polytheism. During the reign of Anex Yeren III "The Wise", from 374-421 YE, the First Seresian Empire reached its height as it conquered most of the modern-day Turkau Khaganate and launched naval expeditions into Dorjania. Anex Yeren III created a new code of laws which simplified the law system and made it fairer towards the poor under the influence of his wife, Anerka Erenda, who was the daughter of a scribe. But every dynasty must fall, and the Redereks fell after the last Anex, a 19 year old boy, died from the Plague. The Banteres dynasty and the Arcasan invasion General Demetrios Banteres as soon as he heard of Leo II's death marched his army into the capital and proclaimed himself Anax of the Seresians after eliminating most of his rivals Leo's cousins and siblings. Demetrios's reign lasted 21 years, under which Seresia flourished. He also began another reformation of the military. Demetrios replaced his spear infantry with Pikemen who carried long spears (averaging five meters). The rest of his reformation looked outward and attempted to combine the doctrines of the two large empires on Seresia's border, Arcas and Zhouran. He imported the crossbow from Zhouran and based his new cavalry on the Helmen (Arcasan: Protected) heavy cavalry of Arcas. These reforms were a key cause of Seresia's prosperity and her ultimate ruin.The next Banteres ruler, Leo III, son of Demetrios, focused on desperately needed economic reform. The Banteres dynasty ruled Seresia until 798 YE when Arcas conquered Seresia after a 15 year war. Anassa Theodora I was the first true female leader of Seresia, she reigned from 642 YE to 664 YE. The Anassa also officially turned Seresia into an Arcasan client state in 662 YE. Sources say that the reason behind this was that she believed (and many historians agree) that Seresia would not survive a war with the expansionist Arcas. Theodora believed that Sereisa was better off joining the empire on its own terms rather than on Arcasan dictated terms. Seresia's cliency to Arcas brought a great deal of changes to the empire. Spending on the military decreased as the Arcasan Legions became primary protectors of the empire and its subject states. Trade with Arcas also increased dramatically with many goods flooding in to Seresia from all across Aredia and beyond in exchange for Seresia and Zhouran goods. Increased trade also brought a great deal of new culture to Seresia which had profound impacts on the nation. The new cultures lead to a surge in old Seresian culture which began to incorporate parts of the new culture. Among the most notable was Seresian Mausoleum. While similar to the mounds of the previous dynasty, however mausoleums were constructed as extravagant buildings. Mausoleums were often contrasted as a single massive room with either the body or ashes of the Anax and his consort(s) placed in tombs in the center of the room and possessions of the Anax were displayed around the room. Many of the mausoleums were open to the public served as museums as well as places to honor the deceased rulers. The fall of the dynasty began with Anax Demetrios IV, On 780 YE the young Anax decided to support Ealder Frederick Balder in his war to take the title of Krigster, despite his advisers' warnings against it. General Balder was a Colotarosist who had converted after serving on the western frontier for several years. Balder saw the rapid spread of the religion in the west and believed that it would sunder the empire if the Krigsters failed to heed it. Demetrios, a fellow Colotarosist, agreed to help fund Balder. Balder's attempt failed and the general was executed in 782 YE. While Kole Yndsen I was originally willing to accept an apology from Sereisa for the mess on the condition that Demetrios IV abdicate and never become involved in politics again. However The Lander family was unwilling to allow the death of Richard Lander go unanswered. They used their influence to convince the Krigster to allow them to declare a blood feud on Seresia. The Krigster had no choice but to accept, believing that it would last a few months before the Landers were either satisfied or defeated. The Lander's Blood War began on 16 Fesver 783 YE with three legions under the command of Ealder Gerhard Lander, the younger brother of Richard. The war created the term "A Lander's will" as a saying to describe someone who was extremely devoted to a goal, often for personal reasons. Lander's legions were outnumbered, but were made up of veterans who were able to defeat larger Seresian armies through discipline and tactics. The Seresia army was excellent at fighting most armies from medium distances, however the Arcas preference of close combat meant that fights often ended very one sided once the armies met on the field. However Lander's legions also suffered a great deal of damage from the fighting and were often very understrength, preventing him from journeying deeper into Seresia territory. For much of the war a stalemate was in effect with neither side able to push the other far enough to make significant differences. The change came with the death of Kole Yndsen I. While Kole had attempted to stop the war several times, he was ultimately unsuccessful. His death in 795 YE brought his son Bernhard Yndsen II to the throne. Bernhard had supported the Lander's Blood War and upon his accession he officially granted the war his approval, meaning that other Ealders were free to join, and several did, breaking the stalemate and allowing the Arcasan forces to sweep into the nation after several costly battles. By 798 YE, Sereisa was completely under Arcasan domination. Arcasan Occupation Demetrios IV was eventually forced to surrender after the disastrous Battle of Seresia which saw the city pillaged and burned by Arcasan forces and the Anax forced to flee. Bernhard II allowed the Lander family to execute Demetrios but commanded that the rest of his family be left alone. The Landers (believing that supporting Balder had been motivated by greed) punished Demtrious's greed by pouring molten gold down his throat. The rest of his family was stripped of their titles, but allowed to retain some privileges such as retaining control of their various estates and certain benefits they had under Seresian law. The Seresian Empire was divided into several provinces. Those in Seresia proper were largely based on the old proto-Seresian kingdoms while the Northern region was divided according to the Kandal tribes that lived there. During the 240 years of Arcasan occupation, Seresia became a wealthy province of Arcas as even more trade flowed into the city from around three continents. The city of Mastrepi became Aredia's largest port city as trade from as far away as Jayanesia flowed into the ports of Seresia. Culturally Seresia maintained many of its own cultural practices, but also adopted several Arcas ones (many of which would not survive the Arcas occupation). However some practices such as the Arcas legal system and meritocracy remained in Seresia to this day. The Arasan road system was also extended into Seresia and like in many other places became the basis of its modern road network. Many of the modern roads were built over the old Arcasan roads and improved from that point. Common Seresians, like in many Arcasan states, retained the use of their old language and alphabet. However many of the upper classes were fluent and literate in Arcasan as a necessity (Arcasan was the common language used in the empire, for trade, and for all official business). Many Seresians converted to Colotaranism. Post-Arcasan Seresia The Taichan hordes rampaged through Aredia in the 11th century YE. As the legions were being ordered to retreat, one legion commander refused to obey said order and marched to Seresia. There he in 1039 YE proclaimed himself Krigster of Arcas in a usurpation of the throne. For 26 years, "Krigster" Gerhard of Arcas skulked in Seresia where he fought off Taichan invasions before dying as the age of 68 from disease. His son Richard I began to think of himself as a Seresian and in 4 AE, he crowned himself Anax of the Seresians. The two protected Seresia from nomadic horsemen and founded the Narbex dynasty which ruled Seresia until 117 AE. Anax Demetrios V rose to power as a general in Anax Richard II's army and when he died fighting the Taichan hordes, he was proclaimed Anax by the nobles of Seresia as Richard was childless, therefore founding the Neratos dynasty, which reigned until 369 AE. During this period, Seresia flourished. Under Anessa Eudokia I, who reigned from 195-248 AE, Seresia became a trading centre and she along with her son Georgios II, who reigned from 248 to 292 AE and accepted the Telkatian crown after it was offered to it by the surviving Telkatian nobles. The Post-Arcasan Anaxes, like their Banteres predecessors, were laid to rest in ornate mausoleums, but the overall style of said mausoleums changed as they also were places where the bodies of the Anax/Anessa lay in state before being placed in the sarcophagi or cremated and the ashes put in miniature versions of said sarcophagus, princes and princesses of Seresia were now also buried in (smaller) mausoleums instead of mounds. The mausoleum interior changed to include statues and paintings of the monarch instead of grave goods. The Late Narbex Dynasty and the 50 year anarchy Anax Demetrios VI was crowned Anax in 292 AE after his father died of old age. He began the slow decline of the Narbex Dynasty by wasting most of it's treasury on the invasion of the Taichan Khaganate in 310 AE which ended in a catastrophic failure. The Anax barely made it back to Seresia with 3,700 of his original 55,000 men. He died two year later in 312 AE. Anassa Maria I, daughter of Demetrios VI, was a marked improvement, but was assassinated in 330 AE after several disputes with the nobility. Maria's son, Constantine, succeed her as Anax Constantine II. The new Anax was fearful of assassinations and so became much more pliable for the nobility in his fourteen year reign. He died in 342 AE under very suspicious circumstances. Constantine was childless, leaving his 14 year old nephew, Eugenius, the throne. Anax Eugenius I, similar to his uncle became a puppet of a gradually strengthening aristocracy. Eugenius died suddenly at 27 on 6 Bover, 355 AE without any children. Eugenius's brother Makarios became the next Anax. While fairly submissive, Makarios I attempted to reassert some of the Anax's traditional powers with mixed success. He was killed by a group of rebelling noblemen on 23 Vyver, 369 AE. His death caused Seresia to spiral into 50 years of near anarchy. Dozens of nobles attempted to declare themselves Anax while others installed puppet Anaxes onto the throne. General Markos Anterius was the most successful of these pretenders, but died fairly early in his reign during a Taichan raid. His successor fared little better and Seresia had 20 declared Anaxes in 50 years and from 388 to 396, Several times the empire would have two or more Anax's based in different cities with a patchwork of nobles loyal to them. The two longest lasting of these dynasties were located in Seresia and Mastrepi. The Kormenos Dynasty General Markos Kormenos would become the proverbial last man standing. He reformed the Army's structure, issued a new coinage, and reduced the powers and rights of the nobles. Markos II reigned from 420 AE to 453 AE. It was during his reign that Seresia was made to pay tribute to Hao Zhouran, at the apogee of it's power. His son, Alexander II invaded Taichan and even besieged it's capital before retreating, carrying away tribute and hostages in 460 AE, quickening it's decline. Anax Leo V was the greatest Anax of the Kormenos dynasty and under his long reign (520 to 574), Seresia flourished. He was a great patron of the arts who sponsored a revival of Seresian literature. Leo V also oversaw a much needed administrative reform for the empire. His daughter Anassa Irene II was an intelligent woman and also a great administrator and she reigned for 19 years for 574 to 593 AE. The mausoleums of Seresia remained such internally consistent with older mausoleum styles, but their exterior changed to the whim of the Anax/Anassa/Prince/or Princess. The Kormenos dynasty ended when Anax Georgios died without a heir at the age of 20 in 682 AE The Argenid Dynasty Duke Constantine Argenos was Georgios Kormenos's chancellor during his three year reign and used his influence to convince his fellow nobles to make him Anax, founding the Argenid dynasty. He reformed the army and reissued the currency. It was during his 17 year reign that Zhouranese inventions like paper and black powder reached Seresia. The Argenid dynasty reigned until 821 AE and resulted in Seresia becoming one of Aredia Major's great empires. Constantine Argenos launched wars of conquest against the petty Khanates of the wreckage of Taichan. He died in the siege of the city of Korkara at the age of 63 from an arrow. His son, Nicephorus II, focused on developing Seresia and in 709 AE, reformed Seresia's administration into a more centralized model. He also encouraged trade and agriculture as Seresia's cities became bustling hubs of trade. Nicephorus II had only one child, Princess Maria who was crowned Anassa Maria III of Seresia after her father's death in 735 AE. She was an intelligent woman who used scheming to retain her throne and expand the power of the crown. She also created a new code of laws which helped the poor and was hated by the aristocracy. She survived six assassination attempts before dying in her sleep in 759 AE at the age of 71. In 818 AE, the last Anax of the Argenid dynasty, Constantine VI Argenos ascended at 32 and reigned for just three years before dying of unknown causes. The Nirden dynasty General Constantine Nirden proclaimed himself Anax of Seresia as soon as he heard that Anax Constantine VI had died. He knew that Constantine's only heir was his Constantine's son who was only seven at the time. He defeated all his rivals and marched onto the capital of Sardak. Constantine ordered the young Anax killed and officially proclaimed himself Constantine VII. He was quick to use his martial skills to defend Seresia from Yao Zhouran. His son, Markos I of Seresia was an average emperor who tried to invade Eastern Yao but was ambushed and lost a fifth of his men before retreating in 835 AE and he died in 838 AE. Markos's daughter, Anastasia II Nirden reigned from 838 to 861. Her son, Michael IV reformed the army and introduced blackpowder weapons as blackowder hitherto was used for fireworks and in crude rockets and "bombs" (though they generated loud noises to frighten the enemy rather than kill them). He also brought paper money to Seresia, however this failed to become popular and few foreign traders would take it, making it useless to many, thus a few years later we was forced to return to metal coins. Michael's son, Basil III was a less than skilled leader and had many setbacks, the most famous of which was the Arcasan Seizure of Sardak in 877 AE. Michael and Basil made extensive use of Arcasan mercenaries in their campaigns, they were both effective and costly. Eventually Basil ran out of money to pay the mercenaries, but promised that they would be paid. When it became obvious that they would not be paid the mercenaries staged a seizure of the capital. The mercenaries at first intended to recoup their losses through the existing tariffs that were applied to merchants; however one particullary crafty mercenary found a more lucrative method. The mercenary, one Garret Cefer, sent a letter to Krigster Edgar Armis I offering to return old Arcasan objects to Arcas in exchange for monetary support. The Krigster agreed and a massive hunt for Arcasan artifacts began among the mercenaries in Sardak. The palace and public building were the first to be looted, followed by the ruins within and close to the city, and finally the mausoleums of the old Anaxes. The mercenaries would even launch raids on other mausoleums throughout the country seeking the artifacts. This would lead to the destruction of many ancient Seresian artifacts by mercenaries attempting to find Arcasan artifacts. Basil III (d. 880 AE) and his son Andronikos V launched six attacks on the city between them that were all repelled. In 884 Andronikos eventually decided to try a diplomatic solution and contacted Krigster Edgar. The two were able to reach an agreement that would have the mercenaries withdraw and the debt forgotten in exchange for amnesty and the Anax's abandoning their claim to the Arcasan throne. The mercenaries were given three months to leave, a mistake that Andronikos would soon regret. The mercenaries began to tear the city apart taking anything of value whether Arcasan, Seresian, or anything else. By the time the Seresians entered the city, the mercenaries had stripped it clean. Andronikos began to rebuild the empire to undo the damage of his father and the Arcasan mercenaries. Nicephorus III, the son of Andronikos, used this infrastructure to embark on his wars of conquest. Nicephorus III Nirden ruled from 894 AE to 923 AE. He dreamed of restoring the Taichan Khaganate as the Anax of Seresia and for that pursuit of restoring the Taichan Khaganate, he launched a war of conquest against the Eastern Yao from 895 to 900 AE. His focus on the Khaganate would cause a great deal of distrust among his nobles and generals who felt that the Anax was not Seresian enough, but held their tongues while the Anax was winning. Nicephorus launched the Seresian Imperial Army on the other Khanates and Kingdoms of what was once Taichan from 902 to 914 AE. In 915 AE, Nicephorus III, angered by Nyssan raiders having the pertinence to raid Seresia, launched a 100,000 man strong invasion of Nyssa led by the young but promising Samatius Astryan which conquered it in almost two years, before Nicephorus III died in 923 AE, he was planning an invasion of Arcas. During the Nirden period, Seresian culture experienced one of it's golden ages as art, literature, and science all flourished. However the empire was not to last, his conquests, while large, made the entire empire very unstable. The 20 year anarchy Nicephorus III never married and had no children. The fact he refused to marry doomed his empire to collapse as Nyssans, Turkau, Nardenians, Aeranians, and Parenians rebelled against the Seresian Empire as Generals proclaimed themselves Khans/Kings of Turkau, Narden, Aeran, and Paren and restored Nyssan independence and fought amongst themselves. Nicephorus III before his death willed that the Seresian throne to his nephew, who became Anax Alexius IV but lasted just 15 months as 9 Anaxs rose and fell in Seresia. The rise of the Doukarids General Alexius Doukarid was Anax Constatine IX's top General and head of his palace guard and the childless Constantine gave him the throne of Seresia in 941 AE and during his 27 year reign, he reformed the Seresian state and acknowledged the independence of Narden, Aeran, Nyssa, Turkau, and Paren. He also laid the foundations for Seresia's current dynasty, the Doukarids. He died in 968 AE and was succeeded by his first-born child, who was proclaimed Nicephorus IV and reigned for 20 years and tried to expand in Dorjania and invaded the "Duchy" of Tarluk. He died from smallpox in 988 AE. The greatest Anax of this period was Leo VIII, who reigned from 1042 to 1101 AE and was a skilled administrator who's organization of provinces was used for 250 years. He also promoted the centralization of the Seresian state.